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“He’s…shy,” I equivocated. “Well, not exactly. But he’s not used to meeting new people.” I was fairly certain that much was true, at least. “I do want you guys to meet him. I’m just saying it might be a while before he’s ready for that.”
“Well, I don’t care about his scar at all,” Davis declared. “I think it’s totally hot that Max is so protective of you. He saved you from getting hit by a freaking car. Plus, he scared off that handsy asshole who tried to grab you outside the bar last week. And he beat up your bully. Twice. If you want to date him, you have my full support.”
“You’ve read too many romance novels,” Charlie muttered.
“Oh, come on,” Isabel cajoled her. “Allie is clearly head over heels for this guy.” Her big, dark eyes were intent on mine. “You have my full support too. And we do want to meet him whenever he’s ready for that.”
Charlie sighed, capitulating. “Okay, I’ll get behind this relationship too. But only because I want you to be happy, Allie. If Max is the guy you want, then he’s who you should be with. Just promise me that you’ll be careful, okay?”
“I will,” I promised, completely confident that I was totally safe with Max. There was no need for my friend to worry.
“So, what are you going to tell Niko?” Davis asked. “He’s going to be totally heartbroken.”
“Not likely. I think he only asked me out because his dad pressured him into it.”
“He wouldn’t have asked you out more than once if that was all there was to it,” Isabel pointed out. “I think he really does like you.”
My stomach clenched with a flash of regret. Despite my suspicions about his family’s wealth, I didn’t like the idea of rejecting Niko; I’d never rejected anyone in my life. No one had ever stuck around long enough for me to break up with them.
I thought of Niko’s glowing, wolfish eyes when he’d called me innocent. The impossibly handsome billionaire had at least been interested in me, even if we hadn’t spent enough time together to develop feelings for one another. If I’d never met Max, Niko’s attention would’ve been intensely gratifying.
But I was hopelessly addicted to my dark protector, and Niko had never stood a chance.
I sighed and turned my attention to my phone. “Help me write this text, please?” I requested, needing my friends’ advice on how to break things off gently.
The sooner I ended things with Niko, the sooner I could focus fully on Max. In just a few minutes, I would finish my dessert, and I’d head home to see him. He’d said he would meet me after dinner, and considering the way he’d held me so possessively in bed this morning, I had no doubt that he would keep his promise.
ALLIE
I stepped off the bus, and my heart skipped a beat when I noticed the menacing figure on my front stoop. Max was facing away from me, his black shirt and dark curls rendering him little more than a shadow, but I would recognize his muscular silhouette anywhere. I practically bounced on my high heels as I walked toward him, anticipation fizzing through my veins. There was so much we had to talk about, but I couldn’t wait to be in his arms again, surrounded by his heat and strength.
A big hand clamped over my mouth, and a corded arm hooked around my waist, dragging me away from the streetlight and deeper into the shadow of the alley. Terror burst across my mind, and I struggled in blind panic as I was pulled farther away from Max. I tried to scream his name, but thick fingers bit into my cheeks, my captor’s hand muffling my cry for help.
Another hulking figure loomed over me, the sharpest aspects of his features catching the sparse illumination from the street. Dark eyes flashed, and full lips curved in a cruel smile. The skull-like mask was terribly familiar but utterly foreign at the same time. Max would never laugh in sadistic pleasure in response to the shudder that wracked my body.
The resemblance turned my stomach. The monster before me was related to my dark protector. The men who’d captured me were part of his mafia family.
Two hardened criminals had me caged between them, helpless to fight off their vastly superior strength. The monster holding me was nearly as muscular as Max. I didn’t have a hope of escaping his bruising grip.
“Our cousin was ordered to stay away from you, princess.” The one who held me spoke in a low, sing-song tone that made my blood run cold. He was enjoying my fear. “Max was warned what would happen if he defied the boss. But when we checked up on him last night, he went into your house and didn’t come back out.”
